


S.T.E.V.E.

by Broseph, Meatball42



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Excessive Drinking, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Inspiration, Puns & Word Play
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-13
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-05-21 21:26:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14923134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Broseph/pseuds/Broseph, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meatball42/pseuds/Meatball42
Summary: Working on an acronym.





	S.T.E.V.E.

Howard did tend to drink rather often. But he didn't normally get _this_ drunk.

Peggy was walking through the empty SSR bullpen toward his corner office and she could hear him knocking things over before she even crossed the room. It was far past the time when the rank and file agents had left for the night, and she had hoped that his presence so late in the evening would translate to insight into their latest mission. To Howard’s credit, he clearly _had_ been analyzing a series of encoded maps- the papers were strewn over his desk and the floor beside it- before the call of whiskey became too strong. That time was obviously several hours past.

“Carter!” Howard announced to the empty room. He leapt to his feet as she came into view of his workstation, nearly sloshing his drink onto the floor. “I’ve had it! I made a breakthrough!”

With the ease of practice and the grace of the sober, Peggy rescued the threatening tumbler from Howard’s tipping hand and set it out of his reach. “Good evening to you as well, Howard. What have you come up with?” she asked. She was prepared to overlook his state if the insight was valuable enough- at least, to the extent of delivering him home to Mr. Jarvis with a minimum of scolding.

“The new agency, the name- we’ve been trying to come up with a symbol, Pegs, we already have a symbol!”

Howard clutched Peggy’s sleeve with wobbly, desperate fingers, his eyes lit up like those of a madman. Gently, she pried him off and sat them both securely into chairs. “I’m all ears.”

“We’re gonna call it STEVE!” Howard cried, throwing his arms into the air.

For a moment, all Peggy could do was blink. Then, she exerted no small strength resisting the urge to either burst into laughter or throw back Howard’s whiskey.

Finally, she took a deep breath. “Howard, we can’t name an international intelligence organization ‘STEVE’.”

“Well, why the hell not?” Howard slurred. Traces of the downtown accent he normally suppressed began to seep through. “It’s the best- he’s the best thing out there. Everybody else’ll- be _jealous_.”

As usual, when Steve was brought up, a pang of grief made itself known under Peggy’s breastbone. There was an extra layer to it, tonight, when she could see her pain echoed on her friend’s face. “It’s not a proper name, Howard,” she repeated, more sympathetically, perhaps, this time.

“Fine,” Howard said to his desk. He glared at it, his lower lip pouting out. “Oh, I’ve got it!” he announced after a moment, glowing again. “How about- we’ll call it SHIELD!”

“Howard, really-”

“No, it’s perfect! A peacekeeping organization, a defence organization. It says we’re not here to fight, we’re here to protect! Of course, we’re gonna pack a mean punch, too, but… Don’tcha see, Carter, it’s perfect!”

As she listened, Peggy found herself swayed. Whether it was by logic, or by the idea of Steve’s greatest symbol carried at the forefront of their mission, she wasn’t sure. However… “It’s still not a proper name, really.”

“No, I’ve decided, it’s perfect.”

Before she could stop him, Howard had grabbed a pen and was scrawling on- the foundation charter, good gracious! “Howard!”

“It’s an acronym, like the other agencies,” he defended. It took a few seconds for Peggy to decipher the slurred words.

“An acronym for what?” she demanded.”This is ridiculous!”

“It’s up to you, Carter,” Howard said firmly, sounding almost his usual, daytime self for a moment. “I’m the ideas man, but you’re the woman who gets things done, everyone knows it.”

“No one knows it,” Peggy said wryly, raising an eyebrow.

“Well everyone with half a brain…” the pen fell from Howard’s hand, and he stared at it stupidly.

“That’s quite enough,” Peggy declared. “Come, we’re calling you a taxi. My sympathies for poor Mr. Jarvis.”

Outside in the cooler air, Howard regained some mental faculty. Not enough to stand without the assistance of a lamppost, perhaps, but enough to look Peggy in the eye. “I really do have the utmost faith in you, Carter,” he said sincerely. “I hope you know that. You’ll come up with a good name, for… for Steve...”

“Sleep well, Howard,” Peggy said, as the cabbie helped Howard into the car.

SHIELD, eh? Well, she’d work something out. How complicated could it be?

  
  


Three days later

“Damn and blast it,” Peggy said under her breath, scratching out yet another sentence from her notes. She took a long, calming sip of tea before turning her attention back to the problem she’d been wrestling with for two hours.

“Ms. Carter?” Jarvis says from the kitchen. “Is there anything I could do to assist you?”

“Yes, in fact. Could you find me a dictionary, Mr. Jarvis?” Peggy asked with a sigh. “Oh- and a thesaurus!”

She glared down at her notes, which at their most optimistic currently read ‘ _Special ____ of Intelligence, Espionage, ______ and Defense_.'

“Oh, you owe me one for this, Howard!”


End file.
